Given their druthers, Canadian sports fans very likely might ask for a do-over.
What was supposed to be a day filled with winning rallies and super drama turned to desultory disappointment in tennis and baseball.
At the Rogers Cup, Eugenie Bouchard, the world’s eighth-ranked player and a finalist at this year’s Wimbledon, succumbed to a bad case of nerves and got hammered by an American qualifier Shelby Rogers and was quickly eliminated from the women’s tournament in Montreal.
Vasek Pospisil, a finalist at the ATP event in Washington on Sunday who entered the tournament at number-27 in the world, was eliminated by the man he beat in the semi-finals in the U.S. capital, Richard Gasquet of France, 7-5, 7-5. Like Bouchard, Pospisil was eliminated.
To be fair to Pospisil, he was forced to take an injury time-out at 5-5 in the first set and will now have an MRI on an abductor injury. Because he did so well last year’s event, reaching the semi-finals, he will fall to number 40 when the new rankings come out on Monday. He was also forced to drop out of the doubles competition.
Bouchard and Pospisil weren’t the only ones having a bad day. Four other Canadians were eliminated, leaving only world number-six Milos Raonic to carry the Canadian colours. Raonic plays American Jack Sock, Pospisil’s doubles partner, on Wednesday.
Accross town, the Toronto Blue Jays began a three-day series against Baltimore at Rogers Centre, knowing that a sweep would get them to within one game of the Orioles in the Major League Baseball’s American League East. It was billed the start of the the Jays’ most important series of the year.
In a game that was never close, the Jays got creamed 9-3, leaving them five games (six in the loss column) behind the Orioles. It was their fourth loss in a row following a hot streak that had Canadian fans hoping that maybe–for the first time in 21 years–the club was playoff bound.
The Jays can take some consolation that if the season ended today, they would be one of two wildcard teams in the playoffs. But a lot of teams are fast approaching in the Jays’ rear-view mirror.
But back to the tennis.
Bouchard’s loss was likely the most disheartening. She came out flat and began spraying balls all over the court almost immediately, losing the first set at love to Rogers. Bouchard rebounded in the second set, winning 6-2, but did not win a game in the third set, losing at love.
Bouchard was followed by Stephanie Dubois, a feisty little fighter who Canadian fans have always held dear. After getting to the main draw in the qualifying, Dubois was beaten by Garbine Muguruza in three sets, 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-2.
With the defeats Monday of Canadians Francoise Abanda and Aleksandra Wozniak, all four Canadians in the 56-woman draw are now gone.
Meanwhile, Pospisil and the Blue Jays were not the only people having a bad day in Toronto. Frank Dancevic fell to Donald Young, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3, Brayden Schnur lost to Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-3, and Peter Polansky was eliminated by Roger Federer 6-2, 6-0.
Play in Montreal was marred by power outages, delaying the start of Bouchard’s match by an hour. The lights also conked out during Dubois’ match, turning the stadium briefly to black.
Make of that what you will.
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